There is a world of difference between conviction and condemnation. While there is no longer any condemnation for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, conviction from the Holy Spirit will be a regular occurrence in our lives. 

Conviction is from God.

Condemnation is from Satan.

Conviction is specific.

Condemnation is general.

Conviction helpss me look at Jesus and the salvation found in Him.

Condemnation makes me look at myself and wallow in self.

Conviction brings us back to Christ in confession and repentance.

Condemnation leads me to run away and hide from God in shame.

Conviction leads to hope as I remember Jesus died and rose again so that I could experience the forgiveness of my sin.

Condemnation leads to despair and doubt as I remember all my failures and weaknesses.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27) This verse tells us that there will be different voices trying to communicate with us and the truth is, there are only 2 different sources of those voices.  One will be the Holy Spirit who has been sent to convict the world of sin and righteousness so that we can repent and believe the gospel. The other one will be Satan, the father of lies and whose aim is to steal, destroy and kill as many as he can.  Light has come into the world through Jesus but because we are sinners, we run from the light in fear that our sinful, evil deeds will be exposed.

This is why it is such a precious gift to be able to hear the voice of our Savior. “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his ways.” (Psalm 25:9)

I have times when I feel like I’m failing at everything in my life but I have come to understand those feelings are not from God. He desires brokenness over specific sins so that I will turn from them and draw close to Him once again. The Lord is kind to give us specific instructions so that we don’t have to be overwhelmed with fear of never being good enough or doing enough. We know what pleases Him through the Bible. Even more amazing is the truth that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We will need this cleansing time and time again when we do stumble and fall.

We need to ask ourselves often when our heart is troubled: is our enemy condemning us to try to cause us to doubt the love and grace of God or are we being corrected by the Lord so that we can know more the peaceful fruit of righteousness?

May we come to treasure the gentle yet strong conviction walking with Jesus brings. By the grace of God we are not who we once were. Our hard hearts are being softened through the gospel and now we can hear the voice of God. One day God will make an end to all our sin; until then may we increasingly come to know and love His voice, and grow in thankfulness for the conviction His Word brings.